A metal recycling company in West Berkshire will have to stop recycling unless it wins its appeal against a council enforcement notice.

A4 Metal Recycling Limited in Beenham was served the notice after it was found to be operating a general metal recycling yard without planning permission.

The company has appealed and will be looking for a Government planning inspector to overturn the decision at a public enquiry.

The enquiry will be held at the West Berkshire Council Offices in Market Street, Newbury at 10am on Tuesday November 17.

The company, which is based in Beenham Industrial Park, is accused of changing the use of land it occupies without planning permission.

It has had a certificate to lawfully run a breakers yard since 2005, but it saw an application to continue metal recycling rejected by the council in 2013.

The application was refused on April 2013 and an appeal was dismissed in November 2013.

The appeal was dismissed on the grounds that metal recycling would be harmful to the living conditions of nearby residents, damaging to the sense of remoteness and tranquility in an area of outstanding natural beauty and harmful to users of a nearby bridleway.

The enforcement notice was served on Monday, November 24 in 2014 and A4 Metal Recycling Limited lodged an appeal on Monday, December 22 in the same year.

The enforcement notice states: "The operations on the land, associated with the alleged use, are noisy activities that are noticeable, unpredictable and disturbing, and have no suitable mitigation.

"These noisy activities result in harm to the living conditions of nearby residents, a matter that has been found to be unacceptable at both application level and appeal."